The Co-Founder of Women in Business, Management, and Public Service (WIMBIZ), Mrs Ibukun Awosika, has charged Olashore International School graduates for excellence as they celebrated their Valedictory recently in the school premises at Illoko-Ijesha, Osun State.
As a Guest Speaker, and being an Achiever, she spoke to the Year 12 graduands on the expectation from their parents, families, alumni, and society at large. Her words: “I congratulate you all as you end this phase of life in preparation for another. If you sum up all the school fees your parents paid all through your stay in school, you will understand that you’ve got an inheritance. Your parents have done their parts, now it’s up to you to do yours. It’s all about you, and what you’ll do with the inheritance. If you’ve written your story up till the end of Olashore, you can as well ask you self the next step to achieve more, such that when you attain the age of 60, you will look back and be proud of yourself. Based on the decision you make each day of your life, your life book will be written. If you understand the value of the cost your parents have bestowed on you, it’s better you turned them into personal decisions to make them proud”.
“Ultimately your association has a way of influencing you. Be nice and tolerant of every person that come across your way in life. Your certificate and future is what you are working for. Times and seasons are different and it doesn’t take so long. Your parents may have achieved much, but you are expected to achieve much more. Your competitiveness is relative to the future of your generation. In the same vein, your relevance in the society is based on your contribution by the competitiveness of your generation, so you can rule and reign. It’s not about money but doing great and relevant things that can change your life. Whatever position you find yourself to occupy, try to be yourself and make the best out of it. Failure has lessons that success can never teach. When you fail, all you need do is review the circumstances of your failure and continue with your journey of life. Your life is a performance on stage. Don’t change what is wrong to what is right because others are doing it, rather make a choice of who you want to be.” She admonished.
The Principal rated the graduating set uniquely. His words; “The graduating set has been outstanding in their IGSCE exams and in initiating good ideas. They’ve been very good academically. In this graduating set, we have been able to see outstanding leadership skills. Once again, the selected prefects have excelled. They took on the role of leaders in the school and developed new ideas. They initiated the Olashore School Award. The event which they planned and organized allowed students to identify role models within the school and celebrate them. This commitment to the Olashore Standard is something that has been evident not just in the prefects but across the year group. He commended the graduating students, while reiterating that each graduating set gets better than the other, and that this set has done much more than expected”.
In the Euphoria of the Valedictory service, the Best Graduating Student, Miss Mofiyinfoluwa Okupe, an 17 year old lawyer-to-be, explained that Olashore International School has helped her literary and leadership skills to be brought up to date by giving her in the midst of peers the opportunity to be exposed to different scenarios in various leadership positions. The Ogun State born graduands with awards in nine (9) subjects confessed that hard work, focus, dedication to God, getting priorities right, walking with the right set of people, and maintaining good relationships, are some of the qualities that helped her scale towards greater heights. She however advised her juniors to take same steps in order to climb the ladder of success.
In the same vein the outgoing Head Girl, Miss Iremide Arowolo, explained that Olashore International School has taught her time management, responsibility, friendliness, confidence and punctuality, amongst others. She however advised her fellow graduands to keep pushing forward despite challenges, and to her juniors, to keep striving for the best without taking anything for granted.
Finally, the Outgoing Head Boy, Master Unokiwedi Patrick, pointed out that the school has taught her to be a good leader through the skills instilled in him. He then advised his fellow graduands never to forget their roots and rather make impacts, while to his juniors, he advised to keep up with hard work as they trust in God.
Mrs Awosika is the Founder & CEO of The Chair Centre Group, Co-Founder and one time Chairperson of WIMBIZ, Chairperson of First Bank of Nigeria, and serves on number of corporates and non-for-profit boards such as Cadbury, Convention on Business Integrity, and Nigerian sovereign Investment Authority. She is also a member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), amongst others.
Established in 1994, on 60 acres of land, Olashore International School is a co-educational school which offers high quality education in a wide range of subjects at Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary along with a University Foundation Programme in partnership with Lancaster University and the Institute of Education, Dublin. Over the past 20 years, the school has succeeded in developing a cluster of world class services around the school including a first class hotel, a golf course and a leadership training centre that all combine to give the school a unique identity. The school is particularly appealing to discerning Nigerians at home and abroad, as well as expatriates residing in Nigeria, who desire a school with a strong value system, demonstrable track record and a clear sense of purpose.
The Principal, Olashore International School, Mr Derek Smith; The Best Graduating Student, Miss Mofiyinfoluwa Okupe; The Guest Speaker and Founder & CEO, The Chair Centre Group, Mrs Ibukun Awosika; at the 2016 Valedictory Service of the Year 12 students, recently at Illoko-Ijesha, Osun State.
The Principal, Olashore International School, Mr Derek Smith; The Guest Speaker and Founder & CEO, The Chair Centre Group, Mrs Ibukun Awosika; The Chairman Board of Governors, Prince Abimbola Olashore, and selected graduands cutting the ceremony cake at the Valedictory Service of the Year 12 students, recently at Illoko-Ijesha, Osun State
